SUPERIOR — The main sewer line running from South Superior to the treatment plant on East First Street will get some needed repairs with the help of $450,000 in federal money.
The sewer line was built in 1939 as a series of pipes held together with a mastic substance and ropes, said Erin Abramson of the Superior Environmental Services Division.
In January, the Army Corps of Engineers notified officials that funding was available for the Hill Avenue interceptor project.
“It’s almost a half a million dollars that we will be receiving that we won’t have to pay back,” Abramson said.
The project to rehabilitate the interceptor that runs between the combined sewer treatment plant in South Superior to the main treatment plant on the waterfront is in its third phase, she said.
A project to cure-in-place a new lining in the interceptor from the furthest point upstream in South Superior to Stinson Avenue began Monday, Oct. 10.
Federal funding will allow the city to complete the rehabilitation from Stinson Avenue to Kirk Rolson Street in 2023.
“Once all of this is done … it will be essentially a brand new sewer system,” Abramson said. “It’s going to be huge. It will significantly reduce the amount of clear water that enters our system. It’s something we would have gotten to eventually, but it’s moved up because of the money.”
Clear water infiltrating the city’s sewer systems has long been a headache for homeowners during heavy rain events because the sewers become overwhelmed and cause backups into homes.
The Hill Avenue interceptor was identified for improvement because of the amount of clear water that infiltrates the line during heavy rain events and during the spring melt.
“This was a surprise to receive this grant,” Abramson said. “It’s huge for Superior.”
Officials will budget $1 million in the 2023 wastewater treatment budget to help pay for the project, but it won’t affect the rates people pay, according to Steve Roberts, environmental services director.
“It should be a good project for us,” Roberts said. “It’s one we were likely to have to do anyway. This was an opportunity to leverage the city’s wastewater budget to also pull in that federal grant.”
The Superior City Council will consider an agreement to receive the grant funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when it meets Oct. 18.
